How to make an Awesome Kids Pencil Case

Are you looking for an awesome pencil case for your kids? I hope so! What could be better than finding an amazing pencil case for your kids? I’d say getting your kids to design and sew their own pencil case. Win win.

I loved my coloured pencils and textas and rubbers when I was a kid and having a cute pencil case was a must. I had lots of different pencil cases over the years but never got around to sewing my own pencil case until I designed this one. My favourite part of this design is the easy way the zip has been sewn in. Perfect for kids and perfect for beginner sewers who aren’t sure about tackling a zip quite yet. Here’s another little coin purse I designed using the same method.

 

What you’ll need to sew your pencil case

Two 12″ X 12″ squares of felt in different colours
10″ zipper
Needle (I like to use embroidery size 9 or 10)
Pins
Sewing thread
Coloured felt to cut out shapes
Glue

How to sew your pencil case

1. Cut a 9″ X 1/4″ slit down the middle of each square of felt.

2. Lay a felt square on top of the zipper so that the teeth of the zipper show through the slit. Pin and sew the zipper into place.

3. Turn the felt square with the zipper face down and lay your second square of felt on top.

4. Sew around the zipper.

5. Turn over so that the zipper and its tag are face up. Open the zipper. Fold the square in half.

6. Pin together.

7. Sew around the sides.

8. Trim off any excess felt from the sides.

9. Turn the case right side out through the open zipper.

10. Now you’ve made a pencil case.

Cut out whatever shapes you wish to use to decorate your pencil case. Glue them into place. I’ve chosen to use an underwater scene…partly because the blue felt I’m using reminds me of the sea…and partly because these fish are easy to cut out and easy to arrange in interesting ways. I’ve made one scene on this side:

And a different scene on the second side…but if you look closely you’ll see that the two scenes are joined…so the little fish above whose yellow tail you can just see leads the eye around to the side of the pencil case shown below:

It’s also fun to add a charm or tassel to your zipper tag. I’ve attached a little metal bell to mine above. The pencil case below shows you a different kind of design which uses sewing, instead of glueing, to create a decorative effect. My daughter, Yiscah, made this…I guess that the warm orange evoked memories of gardens and summer:

On the other side she has used a few of the flower motifs but added something new with a word that may reflect her love of the Beatles and John Lennon’s songs…or perhaps just expresses how she was feeling at the time:

If you want to sew your design, you’ll need to cut out and sew your shapes into place in Step 2. It doesn’t matter whether you sew the shapes on before or after you sew in the zipper as long as you sew them on before you go on to Step 3…and remember to sew them on the side of the felt where the zipper teeth and tag are showing as this will be the outside of your pencil case.

Still want to make another pencil case? Try this easy DIY pencil case.

Have lots of fun, Trixi